Trusting technology: Security decision making at airports

Using data from a field survey of airport employees across European airports, we identify how trust in security technology affects the implementation of security rules and regulations. An analysis of respondents from eight airports in Europe demonstrated that compliance with security rules and protocols was related to two main categories of trust in technology: one oriented to the technology itself and the other to technology as a means of catching offenders. A further multivariate analysis showed that security decisions by each ‘trusting’ group tended to reflect its degree of commitment to the organizations' administrative guidelines and the organizations' security attitude.

► Study of trusting airport technology's impact on security decisions. ► Degree of trusting such technology affects security rule compliance. ► Employees trust technology itself or as one means of detecting threats. ► Technology as a “means” leads to less rule compliance and bending rules. ► Organizational commitment and attitudes toward security affect trust.